One year later, Amendola says he's comfortable with Patriots

Injured in last year's opener, wide receiver Danny Amendola's first season in New England didn't go as hoped when the team signed him as a free agent.

Glen Farley The Enterprise @GFarley_ent

FOXBORO – Comfortable.

The word was removed from Danny Amendola’s vocabulary one year ago.

After four seasons in St. Louis, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound wide receiver made the move to New England, where he had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Wes Welker.

With 10 receptions for 104 yards in a 23-21 over Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium last Sept. 8, in his first game with the Patriots, Amendola looked like the second coming.

Those opening-day heroics came at a steep price, however; a severe groin injury that initially sidelined him (he missed four games last year) and continually ailed him.

At season’s end, Amendola had 54 receptions – roughly a half-year’s work for the “slot machine” that preceded him in New England.

Now in his second training camp with the Patriots, Amendola insists he’s in more of a comfort zone than he was when he arrived as a free agent a year ago.

“I feel comfortable,” said Amendola “It’s different.

“A year under your belt in a system and a new place and a new organization, and it’s kind of like when a rookie comes in for the first time and tries to learn a new offense. It might be difficult sometimes, but the second year that learning curve is much less. I feel very comfortable right now, and (I’m) just trying to come out here and work.”

All the while attempting to maintain good health, a benefit he’s sorely lacked throughout an injury-plagued career.

The one year in St. Louis in which Amendola went wire-to-wire was easily his most productive: 85 receptions for 689 yards and three touchdowns with the Rams in 2010.

Over the past three seasons, Amendola’s been a 50-50 proposition: 24 games played; 24 games missed.

His health a never-ending concern, an interview following a recent training camp practice on the fields behind Gillette Stadium found Amendola channeling his inner James Brown.

“I feel good now. I feel good,” he said. “That’s really the only thing I can say. It’s football. This is a tough sport.”

With a number of new hands on deck – Amendola and second-round draft pick Aaron Dobson, fourth-rounder Josh Boyce and undrafted free agent Kenbrell Thompkins among them – the Patriots’ passing game endured some trying times last year as reflected in Tom Brady’s numbers, which suffered.

Although, one year later, Dobson (foot) has been unable to get on the field, the quarterback believes the wide receiver corps (which now includes Brandon LaFell, an offseason free-agent pickup from Carolina) is working to improve.

“I think everybody – Danny and all of the guys who are coming in here after their first year with our team – it’s a different offense,” Brady said, alluding to the learning curve. “We do quite a few things, we move guys around a lot, there are a lot of post-snap reads, a lot of pre-snap reads, there is a lot of non-verbal communication that goes on.

“So we’re still working at it and he’s been out here every day working his butt off, too. That’s been great to see and for the most part we’ve had full participation, so that’s really helping our team get better. To be out here on the field doing the things that we’re going to need to be able to do.”

Roster spot filled: The Patriots filled the open spot on their 90-man roster created by Saturday’s release of wide receiver Cole Stanford on Sunday by re-signing James Morris, a rookie linebacker from Iowa they previously signed and released in May.

Glen Farley may be reached at gfarley@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GFarley_ent.